Gilyard is the only one of this group that I have profiled so far, but I will make sure to point out that size has to be a major factor when it comes to upgrading the WR position this offseason. Of this group, Cooper is 6’3″, Alexander is 6’5″.

I’ve heard a lot of pro-Jim Zorn sentiment over the last few days, and I think there’s good reason to be pro-Jim Zorn if you are a Ravens fan. As I’ve said before, if Joe Flacco turns out to be similar to Matt Hasselbeck, I’d be thrilled. Of course, I’d prefer that he turn out to be more like Troy Aikman, but that’s just me.

As another note, a few people have mentioned to me that they are concerned about Al Saunders’ lack of experience as a quarterbacks coach. I’m not sure I’d be particularly concerned about that myself. Sometimes a QB just needs a personal consultant as much as he needs a position coach. If the problems Joe was having were more mechanical, I’d probably be more adamant about the need for a coach with more true QB background, but I think either man is fully capable of doing the job.

As always, this is just an excuse to include a funny podium face from Jim Zorn. Thanks to Dan Steinberg from the DC Sports Bog for this one…

That’s a really good way to describe them. There have been no real holes (other than maybe free throw shooting to an extent) since ACC season began, although making one more shot down the stretch at Wake Forest would have been really nice.

But we have to try to keep this in perspective. This Terrapins bunch is probably NOT a NCAA Championship or Final Four contender, but I also don’t think they’re the same as the Terrapins teams we’ve seen over the last 3 seasons. I think this group-because of their balance-has staying power in a conference full of teams that DON’T really have staying power.

Duke is the best team in the conference. There’s no doubt about that. But Duke is also beatable, and if Maryland can at least split their games with the Blue Devils, it will set up well for them to make a run at a bye in the first round of the ACC Tournament.

If you missed Pat Kennedy’s reflection on last night’s game with Drew Forrester on “The Comcast Morning Show”, head over to the Audio Vault at WNST.net.

There’s not much more to be said about a 59 point loss. I have to try to use a level of rational thought, because Maryland lost a game by 41 points last season at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Sometimes, the final score in a blowout isn’t particularly important-as one team just was trying while the other one wasn’t. A 59 point loss may not mean that the Rams were 59 points better than the Tigers. It might just mean that they tried 30 points harder than Towson did down the stretch.

That being said, Maryland lost by 41 after they had already defeated Michigan State, and in a season where they would go on to beat North Carolina and Wake Forest en route to reaching the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament. Obviously Pat Kennedy’s bunch isn’t going to any type of postseason tournament, but how much value can be placed on a 59 point loss has a lot to do with what follows.

If the Tigers bounce back from last night’s loss and show fight moving towards the CAA Tournament in Richmond, then you can’t put a lot of stock in the game. If they finish conference play with 2 or 3 wins, last night’s game was probably representative.

Towson returns to action Saturday night at UNC-Wilmington, the game can be seen on MASN.

I thought maybe playing a Bearcats team that has been to hell and back since winning the America East title last season might give Randy Monroe’s squad a chance to fight for a victory, but obviously that wasn’t to be.

But hey, they didn’t lose by 59.

The Retrievers’ quest to avoid a winless conference season continues Saturday at Maine-who just so happens to find themselves in first place.

I guess the terrible struggles of Towson, UMBC and Coppin State locally have deflected some of the attention away from the Greyhounds’ current 3-7 conference record. I will admit that I thought Jimmy Patsos’ team would probably be a bit closer to .500.

The Hounds are coming off a big win over Marist, but the Red Foxes have just one conference win. The Stags come into tonight’s game with a 7-3 conference record, but Loyola should be able to win games at home against teams in this conference not named Siena. That really isn’t too much to ask.

Taking 3 straight losses with them to Blacksburg, it would be an understatement to say that Brenda Frese’s team is in real need of a victory. Certainly they didn’t look particularly bad in either of their home losses (Miami or Duke), but with a win at Virginia (that they almost managed to give away down the stretch) their only actual statement on the season, they just need to get wins.

Tony Seaman’s squad really showed some signs of life down the stretch last season, playing an instant classic against Johns Hopkins at Unitas Stadium and reaching the CAA Championship Game before being bounced by Villanova. But signs of life aren’t really enough for a program that has a distinct advantage when it comes to the capabilties to win.

While they are in a league with bigger schools (Penn State, Delaware, Hofstra and Villanova are all major players), they do have an advantage over all of those schools (with maybe the exception of Hofstra) when it comes to available talent and regional interest in the sport.

That being said, Tony Seaman has done a HELL of a job at Towson, and clearly deserves the benefit of the doubt to get them back to the top of the conference.

I really wonder if Dennis Sarfate was misused during his time in Baltimore. I think maybe the experiments with him as a starter and as a closer really hurt his ability to settle in as a “_____ specialist” out of the bullpen.

There is no doubt that he had control issues, and giving up homeruns really hurt him. But he had a powerful arm, and it seems as though there may have been a role for a powerful arm.

Of course, when the rest of the pen and pitching staff in general are just as mis-cast, it is hard to get everyone in the right role.

Mark Hendrickson really did a hell of a job out of the bullpen for this team last season. I think bringing him back for just over a million dollars to make sure you have a really solid lefty is basically a no-brainer. Now the question beyond that would be whether or not they keep Alberto Castillo to have two lefties in the pen.

I think it was a mistake for the Birds to cut Guthrie’s pay last season, but I’m not necessarily convinced that he’s done enough to really prove he’s more than a pitcher that just had a nice stretch a couple of seasons ago. I know he’s had a good ERA, but a pitcher has to learn to be a winner beyond a 17-17 stretch over two seasons.

The other issue to look at will be how a contract affects the Orioles’ potential ability to trade Guthrie if Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman (and even Jake Arrieta or David Hernandez or Brandon Erbe, etc) DO pan out. Paying too much in a contract could hamper that ability.

Clearly Crystal Palace is really trying to make a statement about jumping a level to the NASL and trying to be a competitive soccer product in a market without MLS competition. The biggest step would be to get a facility, which is the next project Palace is working on.

And finally, I leave you with this.

Katy Perry was the guest judge on American Idol last night. Blah blah blah Katy Perry is hot.

The Terps aren’t a bad team, but Villanova is a GREAT team. This DOES have the feeling of the years when Maryland would stun teams like Stanford and Kansas at Verizon Center; but I just can’t make the pick.

Morgan State 69, Coppin State 57

If the Bears hadn’t lost 2 straight coming in, I’d probably pick the Eagles to win their opener in their new building. I just don’t think I could see Todd Bozeman’s club losing 3 straight.

Hofstra 84, Towson 72

Charles Jenkins will have 31 points for the Pride, who are just a bit better than the Tigers.

Toledo 72, UMBC 68

I think this one will be remarkably similar to some other losses the Retrievers have suffered this season.

Loyola 77, Canisius 71

But the “Golden Griffins” are still one of the cooler names in college hoops…

David Hernandez will have some value for the Orioles in the offseason should they choose to trade him. I’m not certain that he will ever pan out to be a great pitcher, but last night’s game was an example of the promise he’s shown at this level that could make him a legitimate trade chip.